D&D (2024) Survey Launch | Player's Handbook Playtest 5 | Unearthed Arcana | D&D

[Asisreo]

I think it's concerning how much of this video goes on about sorcerer warlock &martial feel/class identity while barely even admitting that the wizard even has such a thing. Ritual casting is no longer a wizard thing, full arcane list access is no longer a wizard thing, number of prepared spells is no longer a wizard thing.... even the wizard additions are just a subset of low level sorcerer abilities granted at much higher levels with costs appropriate to a high level ability rather than a level 2 one.

Crawford even mentioned that there was originally a different version of create/modify spell before the current one. I'm curious what WoTC thinks that the wizard class identity is & if that identity is just "sorcerer but playing catch-up"

So far, they've preserved the "prepared" (actual prepared) Arcane spell user and its theoretically unlimited spells known via their spellbook.

I think the spellbook is the one identity that needs to stay. I'm not a fan of the gameplay but its a very unique experience when the group finds a scroll or spellbook and the wizard goes "Oh sweet! New spells!"

 

[TwoSix]

Has anyone actually tried playing their games with the 10-minute Short Rest? As far as my tables have been concerned, it's worked fantastically-- any time a Wizard or Cleric wished to cast a ritual, or the Rogue et. al. decide to search a large area for doors/traps, or a character wants to identify or attune to the magic item (all of which I have on 10-minute counters)... the short rest classes can choose to take short rests rather than just twiddling their thumbs.

If you haven't done it yourself, and your table is also one who says they don't take nearly enough short rests (which makes your warlocks much less enticing)... I'd recommend trying it. It opens things up for the Fighters, Warlocks, and Monks and the idea of classes being unbalanced because they are on different schedules really goes away.

I have for my current campaign, which is on session 10, I think. It's worked great so far. Like in your example, it's done by the character, not the whole party, which makes it a lot more flexible. The player just has to ask "I know we're walking right now, so I'll take my short rest while we walk" and it's done.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I'm curious what WoTC thinks that the wizard class identity is

Advantage on Study actions! And, well, the curse of being able to do everything.

 

[tetrasodium]

The curse of being able to do everything.

That's the problem though, "do everything" also applies to sorcerer now

 

[Remathilis]

That's the problem though, "do everything" also applies to sorcerer now

If by "do everything" you mean "nuke everything" you'd be right.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Flight is not an issue. Poor guidance in encounter design that favors ground pounders on a wide open plain and the idea that the flyer does not care about their party is the issue.

Of course, flying is an issue. If a DM has to design or change every encounter to take permanent flying into consideration, it feels manufactured and unnatural, especially because the flying character will be looking for that natural advantage. If they rarely find it, it feels fake.

Not every encounter or adventure takes place in a dungeon or building with ceilings. Overland travel and "random encounters" are not uncommon. For example, during overland travel, the party runs into a hunting party of brutish creatures that can't fly. The flying PC can solo them, or at least make them run away, without breaking a sweat. The only danger to their peers is if rather than stay away, those characters choose to put themselves into harms way for fun.

And even underground, if it is in the Underdark, or a large cavern big enough for a Huge+ creature to traverse comfortably, the flying character is still at an advantage over anyone else who can't reach them.

Heck, there are builds based around a caster soloing a tarrasque because "technically" it doesn't have a ranged attack or it doesn't have aura that messes with flying. When the Tarrasque became a reality in an older campaign of mine, I had to tell the party not to theorycraft based on the MM statblock, because the statblock was going to be different. (I had altered my Tarrasque into an Earth Primal that affected gravity and flying around it.)

 

[tetrasodium]

If by "do everything" you mean "nuke everything" you'd be right.

If you have a spell prepared that has the Ritual
tag, you can cast that spell as a Ritual. A special
feature is no longer required for Ritual casting.
All the other rules on Rituals in the 2014 Player’s
Handbook still apply.

Whenever that number increases, choose
additional spells from the Arcane spell list until
the number of spells on your list matches the
number on the table.

Then over on the wizard side the second level sorcerer metamagic features come over to wizard five levels later at level 7 just as the campaign end is nearing,

 

[mamba]

Flight is not an issue. Poor guidance in encounter design that favors ground pounders on a wide open plain and the idea that the flyer does not care about their party is the issue.

if I look at most encounters in published adventures, flying players would absolutely be an issue

 

[Asisreo]

if I look at most encounters in published adventures, flying players would absolutely be an issue

Are you including adventures for parties level 14 and up?

 

[Parmandur]

I don’t know what you mean by half caster power progression then, because he specifically mentions at least one model that wouldn’t fit anything I would describe using that phrase.

What Crawford seems to me to be laying down is a progression that has the same value as a half-caster as far as a Spell Point breakdown goes, but has escalating Slot Levels instead of a merely increasing number of Slots (hence the ability to cast 6th-9th Level Spells). Hence my tentative proposal of a topping out Level 20 build with a daily allotment of 3/4 5th Level Slots, and 1 each of 6th-9th but nothing of 4th or lower: that has the same Spell point value of a Level 20 half caster, not a full caster, but provides higher Level possibilities, along with the same Invocation and Pact ability budget that the UA proposal puts forward.